Process and apparatus for making glass



Oct. 4, 1932. H. A. WADMAN I 1,880,5 411 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS [7220 n o r,- Ha rOaAMTadmm., Wt ness 734m.

OCL 4, 1932- H. A. WADMAN v1,880,541

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS Filed Oct. 2l, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Innen/fa 1";

Patented oa. 4, 1932 l "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD A. WA'DMAN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HARTFORD-EMPIRE 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS 'Application led October 21, 1936. Serial No. 490,213.

This invention relates to apparatus for and methods of melting glass, and more particularly relates to the melting of glass by the use of the glass itself as the resistor for a current of electricity. The invention contemplates the use of a tank structure comprising a melting portion, a refining portion and a conditioning ortion the last two of which are substanti y separate, in the irst two of which portions electric current is so applied to the glass that it will most etliciently perform the work to be done in each portion of the tank. l The invention also contemplates the use of a tank of such a construction that heat arising from the surface of the glass in the refining portion will be reflected back upon the batch in the melting portion to heat the top surface of the incoming batch and thus aid in its formation into glass.

One object of my invention is to provide a furnace for the electric melting of glass which heats the incoming batch pile from below by means of a stream of highly heated molten glass, and from above by heat radiated from the free surface of the glass to the crown and thence to the upper surface of the batch pile. l

Another object of my invention is to provide an efficient apparatus for producing molten glassthat consists primarily in a furnace structure provided with electrodes so located that lin the melting portion of the furnace, batch Will be melted into glass as rapidly as possible, and provided with other electrodes so located in the refining chamber Y that the melted glass may give up any gases included therein vas rapidly as possible.

Another object of my invention is to increase the efficiency of such a furnace by utilizing the heat arising from the surface of the glass in the refining portion to heat the incoming batch.

' Still another object of my invention is to provide a circulation of glass within the furnace whereby a current of highly heated glass will be brought into contact with the bottom of a pile of batch fed into the tank to reduce the batch to glass, said current incorporating such newly made glass being again heated near the surface of the glass bath to facilitate the passage therefrom of included ases.

Other o jects and advantages of my inventlon will appear from the specification and the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention showing the relative locations of the electrodes and the shape of the reflecting roof of the tank;

' Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a modied form of my invention; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fi 3.

Referring particularlyto Igig. 1, a furnace F comprises a melting section M, a refining V section R, a conditioning section 6, and a forehearth 7. A bridge wall 8, in which is a submerged throat 9, separates the melting section M andthe refining section R from the conditioning chamber 6. A roof 10 over the melting and refining chambers is composed of suitable refractory material and may be covered by a layer of insulating material 11. An opening 12 in one end of the tank provides means for feeding batch in any preferred manner to the interior thereof.

A pair of electrodes 13, .preferably of graphite, is located in the melting end M of the tank at a level below that at which batch will ordinarily sink. These electrodes preferably are coupled to. a source of singlephase, alternating current so that a current of electricity may pass continuousl therebetween underneath the batch, and t us heat the molten glass through which it passes. The heated glass rises in accordance with the thermo-dynamic laws, passes along the bottom and edge of the batch pile B toward the forward end of the tank and into the rening section R. As the current passes the batch pile and melts portions of the batch into glass, it is cooled by such action. The current of glass then passes through an electric current passin between electrodes 15, 15 and 14, 14, where 1t is again heated. As will be obvious from Fig. 1these electrodes are located at but a slight distance below the glass level in the tank and the current therebel tween will heat the glass adjacent thev surface. Thus the glass which passes between electrodes 15, 15 and 14 14 is raised to a high temperature and the bubbles and gases which are included in the stream from the newly melted glass may escape and the glass thus be made clear and homogeneous.

At the same time that current is flowing in the direction above pointed out, glass is being withdrawn from the feeder outlet and another current is iiowing down past the wall 8 of the tank and through the submerged throat 9, and ,thusdraws glass from the melting and refining portions of the tank intothe conditioning chamber 6.

The current of glass after passing between the electrodes 15, 15 and 14, 14 comes into contact with the wall 8, is somewhat cooled thereby, and due to its increased weight and to the pull of glass passing through the throat 9 sinks to the bottom of the tank where a portion thereof is drawn through the throat 9 and another portion thereof is drawn into the current caused b the heating of the glass between the electro es 13, 13 and follows the current ast the electrodes 13, 13 and again past the atch pile.

In order to increase the eliciency of the furnace and to utilize to the fullest extent the heat generated in the lass, I construct xn roof 10 as is lshown in ig. 1 in the shape ofy a flattened arch of approximately elliptical sha so that heat arising from the glass in t e refining portion of the tank over the electrodes 14, 14 and 15, 15 is concentrated upon the upper surface' of the incoming batch, sovthat the batch as it comes into contact with the glass is heated .from above by heat reflected from the refining portion of the tank and concentrated thereon. Thus the batch is more readily melted when it comes into contact with the. hot current of glassrising between the electrodes 13, 13.

The above described method of melting glass may be also employed with theapparatus disclosed in the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The furnace proper of these figures is divided roughly as in Fig. 1 into a melting section M', a reining section R', and a conditioning .section S. The melting section M." is, however, of greater width and length than the section M of the first embodiment of' my. invention and I have provided therein two pairs of electrodes 20, 20 and 21, 21, which correspond to the electrodev 13 shown in Fig; 1. By these electrodes, however, I provide a larger area in which. the glass is heated to a hi'h temperature near the bottom of the ta. The refining section R is of relativel less width and length than that disclosed 1n the first embodiment of my invention and instead of locating the electrodes as in Fig. '1 for the use of slngle yphase current, I locate electrodes 22, 23, 23 and 24 as shown for the use of three-phase alternating current and thus provide an active heating current across the corners of the chamber, which tends to eliminate undesirable pockets of cold glass in the corners.

It'will be noted from Fig. 3 that the electrodes 23, 23 are placed on either side of a submerged throat 25 connecting the conditioning chamber S with the 'refining and melting chambers, and that thus I insure a thorough heating of the glass immediately before 1t passes into the conditioning cham-- ber. In order to prevent the heads of the electrodes 22, 23, etc. from breaking olf from the necks thereof, I provide refractory supports 26, 27` and 28 composed of substantiall the same material as that of which the tan itself is built, upon which the heads of the electrodes rest and which/not only supports the heads of the electrodes but also prevents to some extent a washing or wave movement i of the molten glass thereagainst.

By referring to Fig. 4, it will be noticed that the electrodes 23 and 23 rest against a bridge wall 29 which has a hollow ortion 30 into which the neck of the electro es 23, 23 extend and through which they are connected to a source of electrical current.

The tank shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be provided with the same type of roof as is shown in Fig. 1 for reflecting heat from the refining portion of the tank back upon the incoming batch.

While herein I refer specifically to glass as the substance melted, it is to be understood that this term as used in the specification and in the claims'is sufliciently broad to cover not only the melting of glass in a restrictive sense butsimilar substances such as soluble silicates of soda, aluminous silicates such as cements, and enamels which have somewhat similar characteristics.

- It is likewise to be understood that the above-entitled embodiments of my invention are for the purpose of illustration only and that various changes ma be made therein without departing from t e spirit and scope of the invention as set out in the following claims:

For my invention I claim: Y 1. An electric glass melting furnace comprising a glass container, means for su plying glass-making batch to one end o sald container, means for assing a current of electricity through the g ass beneath the batch to bring into contact with said batch highly heated molten glass to melt said batchmto glass, and means to pass a current of electricity through the upper layer of said glass to maintain a portion of said layer in a condition of luidlty as great as that therebelow.

2. An electric glass melting furnace com'- prising a glass container, means for feeding glass-forming materials into said container, a

.pair of electrodes in said container adjacent container materials are e glass beneath said glasshigh temperature,

g and other electrodes placed adiacent the upp said container in a part of said container remote from the end materials are surface ofthe glass in from said throat to assure f said glass.

melting furnace comprising a conditioning chamber, a melting chamber, ay submerge -said electrodes positioned in the mel ing chamber immediately adjacent to the opening into said throat, and means for causing a circulation of glass between said electrodes and for causing a circulation of the lass which has passe etween said electrodes in part through said 'n part away from said throat. method of melting glass which coma bath of glass in a tan orming materials on one a circulation o remainder of and the second portion to forming materials. t 6. The method of circulating glass in an electric glass melting tank which comprises heating glass near 'the bottom of the tank to a temperature above the temperature of other ortions of lass contained in the tank and' thereby causing such highly heated glass to glass past glass-forming and thereby melting said thereby lowering the tein-v hidhly heated glass materia batch into glass, said large amount terial in said glass, heating the portion o glass containing gas forming materia at which the gases are readgiven off, maintaining said glass at sai last-named temperature until a great portion been given off, passing the ff parnear the end atl tially to the position at which itfed heated,

' materials,

' forming materials,

- 'from said heated U upon said incoming flected -face of the heated melting f' chamber and said conditioning chamber,

it will again rise into contact with said glassof glass ath ofglass in a tan glass-forming materials to said tank, and concentrating the reheat from substantially the entire surglass upon materia s.

for melting glass which commeans for heating glass-forming 9. Apparatus rises a glass container, from beneath a portion glass in said tank, forming materials to said tank, for concentrating upon said glass-formin materials the heat radiating from the lieate surface of the glass. l0. A glass melting furnace, comprising adjoining melting and refining chambers in the lower portion of which is contained bath of molten glass, means for feeding glassof the surface o for heating the glass chambers, and a substantially elliptically shaped rooffor said chambers to conportion Si ned at Hartford, October, 1930.

HAROLD A. WADMAN.

Connecticut, this day of gas forming mainto said chambers a 1a ical of the surface of .said glass the incoming v feo 

